Watchcase wrench



Feb. 13, 1951 c. MUEHLBAUER 2,541,431

WATCHCASE WRENCH Filed May 28, 1947 I )1 van to r Carl Muehlbauer H195 B; W W .iltomqys Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATCHCASE WRENCH Carl Muehlbauer, Flensburg, Minn. Application May 28, 1947, Serial No. 750,929

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in watch case tools and more particularly to tools of this character .adapted for removing screw-type backs of watch cases.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a watch case tool to facilitate the removal of screw-type backs on watch cases that have become tightly sealed or corroded and without requiring the use of a special jig to hold the watch case.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool of this character comprising a pair of pivoted jaws, one of which is constructed to enter a notch in the peripheral edge of a screw-type watch case while the other jaw is held in gripping engagement with the side edge of the cas in a position to exert a rotary movement on the back of the watch case by a closing action of the jaws and to provide a protective cover for the jaw which engages the side of the watch case to prevent marring or injury to the finish thereof.

A still further object of th invention is to provide a watch case tool constructed in the form of a pair of pliers and in which the ends of the jaws are adapted to enter notches or recesses at the diametrically opposite side edges of the back of a watch case and by a rotation of the tool about its longitudinal axis to apply or remove the back of the watch case.

Another object is to provide a tool of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efiicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the back of a watch case showing the jaws of the tool in section and engaged in the notches of the back of the watch case.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the jaws in section and arranged to function as a pair of pliers to loosen a tightly fitted or corroded back of the watch case.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on a line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view or the jaws with part of the guard broken away and shown in section, and

in for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 5 designates the watch tool generally, which is constructed in the form of a pair of pliers and including handles 6 and I pivoted to each other in crossed relation by a pin 8 in a convention-a1 manner.

The handle 6 at its outer end is formed with an outer jaw 9 of relatively narrow transverse width and formed with a substantially straight face It] disposed at right angles to the outer end portion of the handle 6.

An inner jaw II is formed at the outer end of the handle 1 and the pivot pin 8 is adjustable longitudinally in a notched slot l2 in the handle 6 to adjust the jaws relative to each other in a conventional manner.

The inner jaw ii is likewise substantially narrow transversely and is formed with a straight inner jaw face is and a transversely rounded outer jaw face [4, the back of the jaw H at its outer edge being rounded as shown at 15 to provide a substantially tapering extremity IE3 at the outer end of the jaw.

The tool is designed particularly for use in removing the screw-type back H of a watch case I8 and in which the back is formed with radially extending slots or notches 19- at its peripheral edge.

To facilitate removal of the back, the outer ends of the jaws 9 and H are inserted in a pair of the notches H) at a diametrically opposite side of the back H as shown in Figure 2 of the drawlugs, and by rotating the tool about its longitudinal axis, the back of the watch case may be easily removed or tightened.

When the back of the watch case is particularly tight or corroded, the tool is used as a pair of pliers by inserting the end I6 of the inner jaw II in one of the notches l9 and engaging the outer jaw 9 with a side edge of the watch case l-B, as shown in Figure 3 and by closing the jaws to exert pressure on the back in a substantially tangential direction the back will be broken loose from the case.

When used in this manner, a protector or guard 20 of relatively soft metal or other material of channel-shape construction in cross-section and closed at each end is frictionally fitted on the jaw face in of the outer jaw 9 to prevent marring or scratching of the edge of the watch case. The inner edge of the jaw face It] is formed with a notch 2| to receive the inner closed end 22 of the guard to hold the guard on the jaw.

The rounded outer end I of the inner jaw II facilitates the entry thereof into the notches I9. In View of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the 1 device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claim.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new is:

A tool for removing and applying a threadedly attached back on a watch case, and comprising a pair of pivotally connected handles and jaws on the handles, one of said jaws engaging the side of a watch case and the other of said jaws engaging the back of the case to rotate the back upon a closing movement of the jaws, and a channel-shaped protective cover frictionally mounted on the work-engaging face of said first named jaw, said cover having its ends closed and said first named jaw having a notch at the inner end of its work-engaging face receiving the closed inner end of the cover.

CARL MUEHLBAUER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

